I think China owns us!

It’s an election year so I have spent an uncounted number of hours tuning into the popular news channels and websites in order to stay current on the issues and challenges that face the United States.  One thing I found extremly interesting is the national debt and how China holds over $1 trillion in dollar denominated assets (of which $330 billion are U.S. Treasury notes).   It really hit home one day as I watched my wife open up a package she received in the mail.  The package contained a pair of jeans she purchased from Hong Kong.  As she unfolded the jeans I noticed a big American Eagle logo embroidered on the jeans and asked her if she could tell me where the jeans were actually made.  She checked out the inseam tag and found the words “Made in China.” It became increasingly more interesting as I begin to notice the number of products in my house that bore the same words….. “Made in China”.   Whoa ……  I think China owns us!

As of September 2008, the total U.S. federal debt was approximately $9.7 trillion or $31,700 per capita (that is, per U.S. resident). Of this amount, debt held by the public was roughly $5.3 trillion. Adding unfunded Medicaid, Social Security, Medicare, and similar obligations, this figure rises to a total of $59.1 trillion, or $516,348 per household.

Foreign owners of US Treasury Securities (April 2008)
Japan	592.2
China, Mainland	502
United Kingdom	251.4
Oil Exporters	153.9
Brazil	149.5
Carib Bnkng Cntrs	115.4
Luxembourg	84.8
Hong Kong	63.1
Russia	60.2
Norway	45.3
Germany	44
Taiwan	42.6
Switzerland	42.5
Korea	40.5
Mexico	38
Singapore	33.3
Turkey	31.1
Thailand	27.9
Canada	24
Ireland	18.5
Netherlands	15.5
Sweden	13.1
Egypt	12.7
Belgium	12.5
Poland	12.5
Italy	10.6
India	10.5
All Other	154.2
Grand Total	2601.8

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_public_debt

FALL 2008 BEAUTY TRENDS

This fall it’s all about embracing your womanhood- being strong and feminine! You’ll see classic looks from the 30’s, splashes of bold color on eyes and lips along with fresh face, minimalist looks. “I’m Every Woman” should be your theme song this season!

Here are my top 4 beauty trend picks:

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Glamour Girl

Make a statement with the return of an intense red or burgundy pout!

Wear a crème, matte or stain formulation instead of a gloss to update your look.

Keep the rest of your face understated, let your lips be the focus.

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Olympic Medals

Dust your lids with a touch of gold, silver or bronze eye shadows.

To be a metal winner, team one of the shades with dark lashes, full brows and dark blush.

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Blue Streak

Blue eye shadow has resurfaced from the 70s as a hot color for this fall season.

You’ll see pastel and intense shades ranging from Tiffany blue to cobalt.

Incorporate your favorite shade with black liner and tons of mascara.

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Baby Face

Have an au natural, youthful look by wearing soft, sheer shades of pinks or apricots on your lips and cheeks.

Go with nude eyelids, a hint of mascara and full brows to complete this look.

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To view all the Fall 2008 Reality looks created by Jestina, visit our Photo Gallery , and look under “Editorial & Advertising” then “Celebrity Styles by Jestina”.

Stay beautilicious!
Jestina

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Mark your calendar to meet Jestina at the upcoming events:

Jestina will be making an appearance at the My Scoop On-Line Magazine Booth Sat. 10/4 from 2:00-5:00 at The Southern Women’s Show. She will be doing live demonstrations showing makeup tips and techniques and people can register to win Aware Fall Beauty Trend products.

Jestina will also be participating in a Lunch & Learn Event at Greyhouse Grill in Homewood on Wed. 10/8 at 11:45am with Fashion Stylist Tracy Robinson.

Monitoring Your Portfolio

You probably already know you need to monitor your investment portfolio and update it periodically. Even if you’ve chosen an asset allocation, market forces may quickly begin to tweak it. For example, if stock prices go up, you may eventually find yourself with a greater percentage of stocks in your portfolio than you want. If stock prices go down, you might worry that you won’t be able to reach your financial goals. The same is true for bonds and other investments.

Do you have a strategy for dealing with those changes? You’ll probably want to take a look at your individual investments, but you’ll also want to think about your asset allocation. Just like your initial investing strategy, your game plan for fine-tuning your portfolio periodically should reflect your investing personality.

The simplest choice is to set it and forget it–to make no changes and let whatever happens happen. If you’ve allocated wisely and chosen good investments, you could simply sit back and do nothing. But even if you’re happy with your overall returns and tell yourself, “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” remember that your circumstances will change over time. Those changes may affect how well your investments match your goals, especially if they’re unexpected. At a minimum, you should periodically review the reasons for your initial choices to make sure they’re still valid.

Even things out

To bring your asset allocation back to the original percentages you set for each type of investment, you’ll need to do something that may feel counterintuitive: sell some of what’s working well and use that money to buy investments in other sectors that now represent less of your portfolio. Typically, you’d buy enough to bring your percentages back into alignment. This keeps what’s called a “constant weighting” of the relative types of investments.

Let’s look at a hypothetical illustration. If stocks have risen, a portfolio that originally included only 50% in stocks might now have 70% in equities. Rebalancing would involve selling some of the stock and using the proceeds to buy enough of other asset classes to bring the percentage of stock in the portfolio back to 50. This doesn’t represent actual returns; it merely demonstrates how rebalancing works. Maintaining those relative percentages not only reminds you to take profits when a given asset class is doing well, but it also keeps your portfolio in line with your original risk tolerance.

When should you do this? One common rule of thumb is to rebalance your portfolio whenever one type of investment gets more than a certain percentage out of line–say, 5 to 10%. You could also set a regular date. For example, many people prefer tax time or the end of the year. To stick to this strategy, you’ll need to be comfortable with the fact that investing is cyclical and all investments generally go up and down in value from time to time.

Forecast the future

You could adjust your mix of investments to focus on what you think will do well in the future, or to cut back on what isn’t working. Unless you have an infallible crystal ball, it’s a trickier strategy than constant weighting. Even if you know when to cut back on or get out of one type of investment, are you sure you’ll know when to go back in?

Mix it up

You could also attempt some combination of strategies. For example, you could maintain your current asset allocation strategy with part of your portfolio. With another portion, you could try to take advantage of short-term opportunities, or test specific areas that you and your financial professional think might benefit from a more active investing approach. By monitoring your portfolio, you can always return to your original allocation.

Another possibility is to set a bottom line for your portfolio: a minimum dollar amount below which it cannot fall. If you want to explore actively managed or aggressive investments, you can do so–as long as your overall portfolio stays above your bottom line. If the portfolio’s value begins to drop toward that figure, you would switch to very conservative investments that protect that baseline amount. If you want to try unfamiliar asset classes and you’ve got a financial cushion, this strategy allows allocation shifts while helping to protect your core portfolio.

Points to consider

• Keep an eye on how different types of assets react to market conditions. Part of fine-tuning your game plan might involve putting part of your money into investments that behave very differently from the ones you have now. Diversification can have two benefits. Owning investments that go up when others go down might help to either lower the overall risk of your portfolio or improve your chances of achieving your target rate of return. Asset allocation and diversification don’t guarantee a profit or insure against a possible loss, of course. But you owe it to your portfolio to see whether there are specialized investments that might help balance out the ones you have.
• Be disciplined about sticking to whatever strategy you choose for monitoring your portfolio. If your game plan is to rebalance whenever your investments have been so successful that they alter your asset allocation, make sure you aren’t tempted to simply coast and skip your review altogether. At a minimum, you should double-check with your financial professional if you’re thinking about deviating from your strategy for maintaining your portfolio. After all, you probably had good reasons for your original decision.
• Check to see that the nature of what you’ve invested in hasn’t changed. For example, you may have a mutual fund that’s investing more overseas now than it was when you originally bought it. That could mean that your overall international exposure is higher now than when you first invested. This kind of “style drift” can affect the risk you’re taking without your knowing it.
• Some investments don’t fit neatly into a stocks-bonds-cash asset allocation. You’ll probably need help to figure out how hedge funds, real estate, private equity, and commodities might balance the risk and returns of the rest of your portfolio. And new investment products are being introduced all the time; you may need to see if any of them meet your needs better than what you have now.

Balance the costs against the benefits of rebalancing

Don’t forget that too-frequent rebalancing can have adverse tax consequences for taxable accounts. Since you’ll be paying capital gains taxes if you sell a stock that has appreciated, you’ll want to check on whether you’ve held it for at least one year. If not, you may want to consider whether the benefits of selling immediately will outweigh the higher tax rate you’ll pay on short-term gains. This doesn’t affect accounts such as 401(k)s or IRAs, of course. In taxable accounts, you can avoid or minimize taxes in another way. Instead of selling your portfolio winners, simply invest additional money in asset classes that have been outpaced by others. Doing so can return your portfolio to its original mix.

You’ll also want to think about transaction costs; make sure any changes you’re contemplating are cost-effective. No matter what your strategy, work with your financial professional to keep your portfolio on track.

Waddell & Reed
Mahari A. McTier
Financial Advisor
2809 Butterfield Rd
Suite 170
Oak Brook IL 60523
(630) 954-4611
mmctier@wradvisors.com

PUBLIC ENEMY SUPPORTS “SISTERS OF TODAY & TOMORROW” RECEPTION FUNDRAISER (NONPROFIT LAUNCH)

Atlanta, Georgia — Rap group Public Enemy, whose song “Fight The Power” was recently named greatest Hip Hop song ever, donated memorabilia to Chit Chat Communications / C. Morrison Presents…. in support of its launch of “Sisters of Today & Tomorrow (SOT)” nonprofit organization 501C(3), taking place Wednesday, October 1, 2008, 6pm-8pm in the historic district of Auburn Avenue at the APEX Museum,135 Auburn Avenue, downtown Atlanta, Georgia.

The official launch is hosted by SOT Board of Directors. During the reception-fundraiser, SOT will have a silent auction, introduce their Board, show their 5 minute promotional video and be inspired / entertained by Performance Poet/Writer/Activist Kim Salaam (KIMOTION), sultry songstress Dawn M. McClain & soul sista Eva. “The reception-fundraiser will give donors, professionals in the community and the youth that SOT have worked with, the opportunity to connect and witness what is to come for the organization,” says Carla Morrison, President of Chit Chat Communications & Executive Producer/Director of SOT. There will be past participants as well as a few local and national celebrities attending the celebration. The food is provided by the Women’s Ministry Council at Big Bethel AME.

SOT silent auction will showcase autographed timeless Public Enemy cd’s, dvd’s, Chuck D’s tour sneakers & hat, as well as Professor Griff’s Public Enemy t-shirt (made by his son Khalil), along with a number of other entertainment and sports memorabilia to include, but not limited to items from Souljah Boy, Young Jeezy, Capitol & Universal Records, the Grammys, the Ludacris Foundation, Former Atlanta Falcons / current NFL Sports Analyst Bob Whitfield, Brown Paper Bags Gone Wild and Art by Freddy Anderson.

Chit Chat Communications / C. Morrison Presents… has been producing innovative community programs for the past 5 years. “And we are now formally turning our 3 signature programs into a nonprofit organization, Sisters of Today& Tomorrow,” says Morrison.

“Our mission is to raise the consciousness of children and women through innovative programs and workshops, focusing on self esteem, education, health & fitness and careers/entrepreneurship,” says Morrison.

3 signature programs

·“After The Party, What’s the Plan?” Symposium Series, which promotes higher education & entrepreneurship through a panel discussion, for boys & girls, ages 16-21 (primary); 9-15 & 22-26 (secondary).

·“Sisters of Tomorrow” Conference, an all day program for girls ages 9-18, focusing on self esteem, health & fitness and careers.

·“Celebrating Women of Color”, a women’s history month celebration, which involves a keynote speaker, poetry, musical entertainment, drama, food and fun; for women ages 21-45 and their families.

The innovative community programs that Chit Chat Communications / C. Morrison Presents… has produced, has had the likes of Magic Johnson, Mo’Nique, GA State Rep. Alisha Thomas-Morgan, 1st African American Woman Fire Chief Rosemary Cloud, Singer Lyfe Jennings, DJ Greg Street, SOHK/Tradition Clothing CEO Gerard Murray and a host of other great celebrities and professionals participate. The organization will continue to touch communities across the country, including: New Haven, CT; New York City, Philadelphia, PA; Baltimore/DC; Atlanta, GA; Birmingham, Al; South Florida and Los Angeles, CA, as well as aspiring for future international community coverage: London, England; Toronto, Canada; Lagos, Nigeria and Accra, Ghana.

“As we continue to grow, you will begin to see more collaborative efforts with prominent figures and organizations across the country and direct results from the young people that come through our programs, as we continue to motivate, inspire, educate and empower young girls & boys as well as women around the world,” says Morrison.

This is an overview of what is to come with “Sisters of Today & Tomorrow”, founded by yours truly, Carla Morrison.

Monday, October 13, 2008, 10am - 4pm (Columbus Day), “Sisters of Today & Tomorrow” will host its 2nd Annual “Sisters of Tomorrow” Conference at Big Bethel Village, 500 Richard Allen Blvd., in Southwest Atlanta, with the likes of Film Director Sylvia Jackson of Film Captive Productions, Life Style Cuisine Chef/Owner Angela Gorham, Author/Writer Ronda Racha Penrice, Celebrity Photographer Donna Permell of Prime Phocus, Atlanta Actress/Radio Personality Tangie of V103 and a host of other great women in Atlanta. “We will host the same program with prominent women from Connecticut and NY, during the Christmas holiday at James Hillhouse High School, in New Haven, CT,” says Morrison.

Chit Chat Communications (CCC) is a boutique public relations & marketing firm. C. Morrison Presents… is the community division which produces special events/community programs for their clients. CCC was founded in 1993 and is celebrating its 15 year anniversary.

For more information, log onto: www.chitchatcommunications.com or contact: Carla Morrison, Chit Chat Communications, (404) 815- 5667,  chitchatcommunications@hotmail.com or cmorrison@chitchatcommunications.com.

BCRI Welcomes “Agitator’s Daughter” for Book Signing

Birmingham, Alabama—The Cashin family home in Huntsville, Alabama, was always filled with people and lively discussion.  For generations in fact, political emancipation was the lifeblood of the Cashin family—and the community knew it.  The Agitator’s Daughter is Sheryll Cashin’s memoir of her “emotional inheritance.”  She will discuss her life and new book at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) on Friday, October 3, 2008.  The event takes from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.  BCRI is located at 520 Sixteenth Street North.  This program is free and open to the public.

Cashin, Professor of Law at Georgetown University, teaches Constitutional Law and Race and American Law, among other subjects.  She writes about race relations and inequality in America.  Her new book, The Agitator’s Daughter: A Memoir of Four Generations of One Extraordinary African-American Family (PublicAffairs, 2008) traces the arc of American race relations through generations of her family.

Professor Cashin worked in the Clinton White House as an advisor on urban and economic policy, particularly concerning community development in inner-city neighborhoods.  She was law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and Judge Abner Mikva of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.  She graduated summa cum laude from Vanderbilt University in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.  As a Marshall Scholar, she went on to receive a masters in English Law, with honors, from Oxford University in 1986 and a J.D., with honors, from Harvard Law School, in 1989, where she was a member of the Harvard Law Review.  Cashin was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, where her parents were political activists.

Cashin has published widely in academic journals and written commentaries for several periodicals, including the L.A. Times, Washington Post, and Education Week. A frequent radio and T.V. commentator, she has appeared on NPR All Things Considered, The Diane Rehm Show, The Tavis Smiley Show, The Newshour With Jim Leher, CNN, BET, ABC News, and numerous local programs. Her book, The Failures of Integration (PublicAffairs, 2004) was an Editors’ Choice in The New York Times Book Review and a finalist for the 2005 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for non-fiction.

BCRI welcomes Cashin back to Birmingham for her first book signing at the facility.  Sheryll lived in Birmingham and worked as an attorney at the law firm of Sirote and Permutt in 1999-92 and she participated in the Institute’s conference Civil Rights in the Next Decade in 2001. That conference was held in collaboration with Cumberland Law School at Samford University.

For more information on the book signing, contact Ahmad Ward at (205) 328-9696 ext. 234.

The City of Birmingham Mayor’s Office-Division of Youth Services Launches New Program to Help Youth – Help You!

(Birmingham, AL) - The City of Birmingham Mayor’s Office-Division of Youth Services (DYS) is launching the Youth First Help Wanted Program. Through the program, youth will oversee different projects within their communities, like raking leaves, cleaning out garages, washing cars, monitoring lemonade stands, and more.

In order to participate, youth must reside in the City of Birmingham, be between the ages of 8 and 16 years old, apply through DYS, and be accompanied by an adult on each venture.

DYS will provide flyers for youth to distribute within their communities, keep a roster of available youth participants, and serve as a clearinghouse for help wanted requests from Birmingham’s 99 neighborhoods and 23 communities.

For more information about the Youth First Help Wanted Program, call DYS Executive Director Cedric D. Sparks, Sr. or DYS Public Information Officer, Beverly Meadows, at 320-0879.

Did you know: War spending gone bad

In the months before the March 2003 Iraq invasion, the Bush administration estimated the Iraq war would cost no more than $50 billion.  As of Sept. 30, the two wars (Iraq & Afghanistan) have cost $604 billion.

Source: USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2007-10-23-wacosts_N.htm

$ 1 Million Stimulus Check

I was sitting at my desk one morning and a good friend came over and we struck up our normal conversation on sports and politics.  Our conversation led us from the Oregon State upset of USC, to the Alabama/Georgia game and then to the $ 700 billion bailout plan.  He made the statement that instead of writing a $700 billion check to bail out failing companies the government should give all U.S. citizens $ 1 million dollars.  I laughed at first and then I started to think that what better way to stimulate the economy than give $ 1 million to each citizen.   If you visit http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html the website claims that the U.S. has under 306 million people. This means every man, woman and child would get $ 1 million and the government would spend around $ 306 Trillion … if my math is correct.  OK, maybe a little bit far fetched and of course there could be pitfalls like the devalue of the US dollar, really high inflation and interest rates or people just going on outrageous spending sprees and other unknown acts (since money makes us so crazy) …  but I still like the general concept.  Perhaps the concept would go over better with a more manageable amount like $ 50,000.  For many U.S. families I am sure this would bring a sigh of relief and offer options to catching up on mortgages, paying down excessive debt or serve as a foundation to fund retirement and college funds.  So this brings that $ 306 Trillion Dollar figure down to a much more manageable $ 15 Trillion Dollars.  Whatever the case I like where this idea is going just as much as anything else I have heard no matter how far fetched it may seem.  A $ 700 billion buyout/bailout is just as out of reach for me as $ 306 trillion in stimulus checks.  FYI …. I did ask my friend to consider a run for the White House as the $ 1million per person candidate.  What a platform! Greg W for President!

Comment below with your ideas and suggestions on getting the U.S. economy back on track.

Fishburne to join CSI cast

Award winning actor Laurence Fishburne will join the cast of the popular CSI:Crime Scene Investigation television series around the ninth episode of the 2008 fall season.  Fishburne will replace actor William Petersen where he will meet with the CSI team as a college lecturer and former pathologist who focuses on violent crime.  Fishburne will eventually join the team as a weekly and well received addition to the team.  While information of this addition has not been listed on the CSI website it seems this season we will simply get an introduction to the character and give the fans an opportunity to settle with the departure of Grissom as the series goes into the 2009 season.

Fans have expressed concern about the future of the show with the exit of Peterson and Gary Dourdon (Warrick) which means CSI producers needed a heavy hitter to keep the shows loyal audience in tact. The CSI shows have brought a certain edge to prime time television and securing an actor such as Fishburne will certainly give the writers a boost of creativity.  Other television series like the popular ER have made similar adjustments such as the casting of award winning actress Angela Bassett as a regular character for its final season.  Wait a minute … that’s Ike and Tina!

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation season premiere is set to air October 9th, 2008.  The first episode will also feature Jorja Fox in a returning role as Sarah Siddle.

The Return of Maxwell

For years we have all wondered what happened to that smooth singing brother Maxwell.  With the popularity of his first couple albums Maxwell became an instant R&B sensation but left fans in the dark for over six years waiting for something new from the R&B crooner. Read more

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